Tube inflating device



A. A. STARKE 2,149,797

TUBE INFLATING DEVICE March 7, 1939.

Filed April 1, 1958 s Sheets+Sheet 1 ATTO R N EYS Mamh 7,1939. A'. A. STARKE 2,149,797

I TUBE INFLATINQ DEVICE Filed April 1, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 073A; afizgm VENTOR ATTO R N EYS A A. STARKE TUBE INFLATING DEVICE March 7, 1939.

3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed April 1, 1938 I 07141. J'farZ'e,

ATTO R NEYS Patented Mar. 7, 1939 UNITED STATES.

PATENT OFFICE 1 TUBE INFLATING DEVICE of Reno, Nev.

Application April 1, 1938, Serial No. 199,508

2 Claims.

My invention relates to inflating devices 'and 8 of ordinary construction provided with the One of the principal objects of my invention is to provide a tube inflating device so constructed and arranged as to be positioned on the wheel of a motor vehicle whereby to inflate and maintain a tube carried by said wheel in a predetermined condition.

Another object of my invention is to provide a device of the above described character operable through the rotation of the motor vehicle wheel to maintain the tube in inflated condition. A further object of my invention is to provide a device of the above described character adaptable for use on each of the wheels of a motor vehicle whereby the tubes thereof are maintained in inflated condition.

v A still further object of my invention is to provide a device of the above described character equipped with means for denoting the inflated condition of the tube at all times.

Another important object of my invention is to provide a tube inflating device equipped with means for automatically maintaining the tube inflated. 7

Still another object of my invention is to provide a device of the above described character which is simple in construction, durable in use, efficient in operation and adapted for attachment to motor vehicles already in use without substantially modifying the structure thereof.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description, appended claims and annexed drawings.

Referring to the drawings wherein like reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view illustrating my invention in connection with a motor vehicle structure.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of my invention.

Figures 3 and 4 are sectional views taken on usual outer face 9.

Fixed to the face 9 of the brake drum 8 by means of screws [0 is a housing I! fashioned with a peripheral wall l2 and an inner end wall 5 I3 abutting the face 9 of the brake drum. The housing is provided with an outer open end closed by a detachable plate M secured thereto by means of screws l5. Fixed to the hub 6 is a cylindrical shell I6 having a circumferentially 10 extending air chamber ll. Said shell is fashioned with an outer peripheral wall it having a circumferentially extending projecting section l9 provided with arcuate shaped clutch faces 19a and Nb fashioned with circumferentially ex- 15 tending grooves 20 and 2| respectively, the groove 20 being disposed towards the outer end of said shell while the groove 2| is disposed towards the inner end thereof.

Located within the housing is a circumferen- 20 tially extending band 22 embracing the section l9 and said band 22 is fashioned with right angularly disposed side flanges 23 fashioned with circumferentially extending grooves 24 for accommodating therein ball bearings 25 for a purpose 25 hereinafter set forth. Said band 22 is of sectional construction and the sections are secured together by means of bolts 26.

Interposed between the outer peripheral face l8 of the shell I6 and the inner peripheral face'go of the band 22 is a pair of circumferentially extending outer and inner clutch elements 21 and 28 respectively which are fashioned on the outer side walls with circumferentially extending grooves 29' forming seats for the ball bearings 35 25 thereby providing a free running fit between the elements 21; 28 and flanges 23 of the band 22. The clutch elements 21 and 28 are'of a ring like configuration and formed with circumferentially extending chambers 30 and 3| respectively. 40

The inner circumferential faces of the clutch elements 21 and 28 are of an arcuate configuration conforming to the clutch faces l9a and I91) respectively andare provided with a suitable gasket material 32 and 33 respectively for en- 45 gagement with the respective clutch faces. The opposed side walls of the elements 2'! and 28 are fashioned with circumferentially extending grooves forming a seat in which are seated ball bearings 34 serving to maintain the elements in spaced relation and providing for free relative movement therebetween.

The clutch elements 27 and 28 adjacent the shell It are each provided with a laterally extending offset section 35 and 36 respectively and which are formed with a passage communicating with the chambers 39 and 3| respectively. Secured within the sections and 36 are the ends of spiral shaped springs 31 and 38 respectively. The opposite ends of said springs are connected to the peripheral wall l2 and said peripheral wall i2 is formed with an inwardly extending bore 39. The springs 31 and 38 are of a tube like construction to provide air passages extending therethrough communicating between the chambers 30 and 3| and bore 39 for a purpose hereinafter set forth.

The inner peripheral faces of the clutch elements 27 and 28 are fashioned with apertures 40 and 4| respectively communicating with the chambers 30 and. 3|. Said apertures are provided with valve seats for accommodating valves 42 and 43 equipped with valve stems 44 and 45 extending through the apertures 49 and 4| respectively. Said valves 42 and 43 are urged into seating engagement with the respective seats the clutch faces I91; and |9h as hereinafter described. The apertures 49 and 4| are each provided with an enlarged section at the outer ends thereof for registry with the grooves 29 and 2| when the respective clutch elements engage the clutch faces |9a and H30.

The outer peripheral wall l8 of the shell I6 is provided with openings in which are threaded valve members 48 and. 49. Each of said valve members are provided with a check ball 50 operable for closing passages 48a and 49a connecting the grooves 20 and 2| respectively with the chamber ll.

Obviously, when the band 22 is moved in an axial direction, towards the brake drum 8 the inner peripheral face of the clutch element 27 will engage the clutch face |9a causing the lower end of the stem 44 to engage the clutch face and operate the valve 42 to open position as illustrated in liigure 2. This operation causes the clutch element 28 to be moved in the same direction together with the element 21 thereby disengaging the end of the stem 45 of the valve 43 and causing the same to be actuated to a closed position. In this position of the parts air introduced into the bore 39 in a manner hereinafter set forth will be transmitted through the spring 29 into the chamber 30 whence the same will flow through the aperture 40 into the groove 29 and discharge therefrom into the chamber I! through the passage-and valve48.

The valve49 serves to prevent the escape of the air through the passage 49a into groove-2|.

One side of theshell |6 has connected thereto a feed line 5| connected to an inner tube 52 of a tire casing 53 carried by the wheel 5 and thus air introduced into the chamber I! in the a manner heretofore set forth will be communimitting'air to be introduced into the chamber "vent a too great a winding of the spring 31 it is necessary to shift the clutch elements 21 and 28 whereby to disengage the element 21 from the face We and permit engagement of the clutch element "28 with the face |9b to maintain a flow of air into the chamber |1 through the spring 38.

To accomplish this shifting of the clutch elements and prevent breakage of the springs I provide a yoke 53 fashioned with a pair of arms embracing the band 22 and connected thereto by means of screws 54 or the like. The connected ends of the arms of the yoke are fashioned with an upwardly extending lug 55 slidably mounted within a slot 56 fashioned in the wall |-2 of the housing H as clearly illustrated in Figure 2. Mounted on the outer face of the wall I2 is a plate 51 fixed with an oifset arm 58 spaced from the outer face of the wall -|2. The arm 58 is provided with a shaft 59 on which is rotatably mounted a star wheel 55 having a plurality of teeth 6|, for instance five in number, for engagement with a laterally extending lug 62 carried on the inner face of a disk 63 or spoke'of ably mounted a finger 69 having a recessed end 10 for engagement with the end of the teeth 6| and said finger is normally urged towards the star wheel by means of a spring 1| positioned within said housing. 5

Upon rotation ofthe wheel5 the lug 62 will engage one of the teeth 6| and rotate the star wheel a sufiicient'distance to position another tooth in the path of the-lug upon the next rotation of the wheel. Continued rotation of the wheel serves to rotate the star wheel thereby causing the cam 64 to move the pins 65 and impart a reciprocating movement to the slide 66. The'reciprocation of the slide 66 servesto impart asimilar movement to the yoke 53 which in turn" causes axial reciprocation of the band 22 to effect alternate engagement of the clutch elements 21 and 28 with the clutch faces |9a and I9!) respectively. From the foregoing it will be apparent that alternate engagement of the clutch elements with the respective clutch faces serves to maintain a continuous flow of air into.

the chamber through the respective springs and upon disengagement of one clutch element from its respective clutch face the spring attached thereto will unwind and reposition the clutch element for engagement with the respec-- tive clutch face upon the shifting of the band 22 as heretofore set forth.

As illustrated in Figure 1 of the drawings each wheel is equipped with a housing and the bores 39 of said housings are connected by means of a pipe line 15 to respective gauges I6 mounted on a dashboard Ti of the motor vehicle. Each of the gauges are in turn connected by means of pipe lines to a supply tank 18 for supplying air to the respective chamber I1. The gauges 16 are so constructed and arranged to indicate the amount of air pressure within the respective chamber l1 thereby permitting the operator of a motor vehicle to be readily notified should one of the pipes 15 become ruptured or other of the parts disconnected or damaged. Likewise should one of the tubes 52 become blown, the respective gauge 16 connected thereto would indicate an excess amount of air being supplied thereto. Secured within the connection 5| is a check valve 19 operating to prevent air from the tube 52 being discharged within the chamber l'l should the springs 31 and 38 or other connected parts become ruptured.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that my invention provides means whereby air from a supply tank is in continuous communication with the tubes of motor vehicles during the operation of said vehicle. The air in the supply tank I8 is maintained at a desired pressure imany convenient manner, for instance by a pump or the like equipped with a pressure valve mechanism for actuating the same to maintain said pressure. Said pump and pressure valve mechanism being of ordinary construction.

What I claim is:

1. The combination of a motor vehicle wheel equipped with an inflatable tire tube and formed with a rotatable hub and a stationary brake drum; of a tire inflating device comprising a housing fixed to said drum and provided with an air receiving bore, a shell mounted on said hub and rotatable therewith, said shell equipped with oppositely disposed clutch faces having passages communicating with the interior of said shell, a band embracing said shell, clutch elements interposed between said band and said shell and fashioned with air chambers and for alternately engaging said clutch faces for communicating air from said chamber to said passages, tubular springs connected to said housing and said clutch elements respectively for effecting communication between said bore and said air chambers, a yoke carried by said band for shifting said band in a manner whereby said clutch elements alternately engage said clutch faces, an air line connecting said shell to said tube, means mounted on said housing for operating said yoke, and a member secured on said wheel for operating said means whereby said clutch elements are alternately shifted for maintaining a flow of air through said springs into said shell.

2. The elements of claim 1 as set forth and defined together with a check valve controlling said air line to permit the passage of air from said tube into said shell.

ANTON A. STARKE. 

